


In Pursuit of Suspect

by tyranusfan



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26929243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyranusfan/pseuds/tyranusfan
Summary: I wrote this for a an online short-story writing contest several years ago. Sadly, I didn't win.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	In Pursuit of Suspect

"Sir, I'd like to say this: it wasn't my fault."

Captain Horner glanced up at him over the edge of the report, reading glasses perched on his nose. It reminded John Rice of the way his late grandfather used to glare at him when he'd been caught misbehaving. "That's all you want to add to this?"

"Well, sir, I—"

"Let's start at the beginning, Detective. You were called in to a holdup at a convenience store on 5th Street."

Rice settled back in his chair. "That's right, Captain."

"When you arrived on the scene and identified yourself, the suspect fled the store. You pursued on foot...for forty blocks?"

Rice shrugged. "It— I had to park a ways back from the store. I thought I'd lose him if I went back for my car."

"You chased a suspect for _forty_ blocks?"

"I do a lot of cardio, sir."

Horner stared at him for a moment, then looked back to the report. "Says here you finally caught up with him at an abandoned...harmonica factory. Where the hell is there an abandoned harmonica factory in this city?"

"Um, that big, yellow warehouse-looking building...on the corner of Moffett and Pine. I'm sure you've seen it, sir."

"That's a harmonica factory?"

"Well, it was, sir."

"Okay," Horner frowned but continued to read. "Once inside, you cornered him near a blocked fire escape. You ordered him to surrender, at which point he turned and— He threw a _grenade_ at you?"

"Yes, sir. Apparently that's what he used to hold up the store."

"Right," Horner was still frowning. "He threw it at you, you took cover, and then the room exploded."

John nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. It seems that a fireworks company out in the county was using the building to store gunpowder and fuses, and...whatever else you use to make fireworks. The grenade set them off, and the whole building went up."

"Killing the suspect."

"Correct."

"And the fireworks company—?"

"The Feds have already shown up to investigate that."

Horner sighed and yanked his glasses off. "Detective, you realize how insane this sounds?"

"I—"

"Do you realize that the suspect's family has filed a fifty million dollar lawsuit against this department—and you specifically—for the death of their son?"

Rice nodded again. "I—I have heard that, yes."

Horner tapped the report folder loudly. "And you want us to tell them that you chased their son for two miles across town, cornered him in a harmonica factory, and he _blew himself up_ with old fireworks ingredients in order to avoid being arrested?"

" _Abandoned_ harmonica factory," John replied. "Sir, my report is all true. I didn't even discharge my weapon!"

Horner sighed. "All right. Fine. Thank you, Detective. I'll talk to the Chief."

Rice rose and headed for the door. Horner called out just as he turned the doorknob. 

"What'd he steal?"

Rice turned around. "Sorry, sir?"

"The perp. What did he steal?"

"Um, a Yoo-hoo and a banana."

" _Get out_." 

****

END


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